Post navigation

Channeling Carrie Fisher: A 2017 Challenge

It’s been a week since Carrie Fisher left us. I still cannot seem to wrap my brain around the fact that this woman, so full of life and wit, is gone.

Now, many of you may be confused as to why I’m writing about Carrie Fisher. You’re probably saying to yourself, “You don’t seem like a typical Carrie Fisher fan.” The truth is that I’m probably not the typical. I admit to have never having seen Star Wars, though I plan to correct that fairly soon. She had a varied career that spanned working as an actress, script doctor, author, and much more. I’m a fan of her writing, her wit, her honesty, her live-it-out loud attitude. Carrie Fisher has been an inspiration to me for a long time.

Over the past week, I have re-submerged myself in her writings and interviews. She is incredible in her bravery and honesty. One of my favorite quotes of hers, and I will admit is my lock screen image on my iPad, is:

“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” ― Carrie Fisher

This is what I’m trying to do with my life this year. I have let fear get the better of me in most everything I have attempted to do. I have let other people talk me down and tell me that I’m really not good enough. I’m sick of feeling mediocre. So, I’m going to channel Carrie this year. I’m going to be honest, brave, look after myself, and to stop feeling less than I am.

What have I learned from Carrie Fisher over the years that I’ve admired her as an author, comic, and mental health advocate? Be yourself. Be yourself to an extreme that people cannot deny your talent and your worth. Be true to what you believe and be a voice for those that may be too afraid or ashamed to voice their own.

So, excuse me while I go and bury myself in Carrie Fisher’s writings, in her one-woman show, and in her interviews. Excuse me while I try to convince myself that this bold voice and bright light in a very dark world is not gone. Excuse me while I mourn for someone that I never had the opportunity to meet but hope to one day emulate with my words and my art.

“You know what’s funny about death? I mean other than absolutely nothing at all? You’d think we could remember finding out we weren’t immortal. Sometimes I see children sobbing in airports and I think, ‘Aww. They’ve just been told.’” ― Carrie Fisher, Wishful Drinking